Gov. Rick Scott has spent little time in Tallahassee since the end of the legislative session due to re-election campaign events. He signed most bills in private. / Patti Blake/AP/News Herald

Written by

K. Maxwell Greenwood

News Editor @KMaxGreenwood

It’s been a prolific week for Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who since last Friday signed nearly 100 bills into law, covering issues from late-term abortions to medical marijuana.

Friday marked the beginning of a marathon bill signing, including one redefining the state’s third-trimester abortion ban. The new law will require women to have a doctor evaluate whether a fetus is viable outside the womb before allowing an abortion. Currently, the state prohibits abortions after the 24th week of pregnancy.

Also among the legislation signed Friday were a bill prohibiting the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors, a bill making it easier for private companies to sell flood insurance, a bill tightening regulations on charities in the state and a bill prohibiting insurers from using credit information to cancel an insurance policy or deny a claim.

Scott also signed a measure Monday permitting a low-THC strain of marijuana for medical use, and an accompanying bill protecting the identities of patients who used the medication. The strain, nicknamed Charlotte’s Web, is high in CBD, which is used to treat epilepsy patients, and low in THC, the compound that causes users to feel high.

“As a father and grandfather, you never want to see kids suffer,” Scott said in a statement Monday. “The approval of Charlotte’s Web will ensure that children in Florida who suffer from seizures and other debilitating illnesses will have the medication needed to improve their quality of life. I am proud to stand today with the families who deserve the ability to provide their children with the best treatment available.”

Floridians will see a broader medical marijuana referendum on the ballot when they go to the polls in November. Scott has said he opposes the referendum and the legalization of medical marijuana on a larger scale.

The Republican governor signed another bill that same day banning six new synthetic drugs.

Some of the other bills signed by Scott on Monday include two taking on human trafficking in Florida. One of the bills increases prosecutions of human trafficking criminals and the other provides better services to survivors, including the establishment of new safe houses for victims.

“I thank Gov. Scott for his support of Florida’s anti-human trafficking efforts,” Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement Monday. “The Statewide Council of Human Trafficking will coordinate and enhance efforts to fight sex trafficking and support victims.”

According to the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the state has one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the country.

Most of the legislation signed by Scott will go into effect on July 1.

Scott, who has been holding re-election campaign events across the state, signed most of the bills in private. In the past, the summer has been a time of public bill signings for the state’s governors. But with midterm elections in November, the governor has spent more time travelling across the state on a re-election campaign.

He will likely face a brutal campaign against likely Democratic candidate and former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist.